


Super-Max: The Beginning

by EHC



Series: Tales of Super-Max [2]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Gen, superhero au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-11-01 21:33:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17875253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EHC/pseuds/EHC
Summary: At 18, Max has kept her super powers hidden from the world. That all changed when she found herself in the Dark Room. Now, she's accidentally discovered a new super power: time travel.





	1. One Hard Rewind

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [S&M](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17732597) by [simpletextadventure](https://archiveofourown.org/users/simpletextadventure/pseuds/simpletextadventure). 



> I suppose I'm not done with this AU after all. Major apologies to everyone but this work lacks the light-hearted tone of the piece that started it all, S&M, by simpletextadventure. I really thought I'd be able to make things light this time but, alas, that's not the case. There will likely be at least one more chapter to this work so, if you don't hate this, stay tuned for the conclusion later on.

When Max opened the binder labeled "Rachel," her blood ran cold. Multiple photos. Color. Black and white. All of a girl. Blonde. Beautiful, except for the fear, the hate on her face. Clothing askew. Tied to a chair. Strapped to a bed. Nude. Bruised. Beaten. Cut. Bloody. A final image, face wrapped in plastic, mouth wide, lips blue, face locked in terror. Dead.

Dead.

Dead.

Dead.

Max slammed the book shut. All she had heard on campus for weeks was how tragic it was that Rachel had run away to LA and abandoned her girlfriend. Left for greener pastures. The aspiring model, the whore, the slut, the druggie. How Chloe had wasted away without her, her loyalty unfounded. Alone.

Dead.

Dead.

Dead.

Max looked up but couldn't see the other names on the binders though her tears. Dozens of them, filling the cabinet shelves. All like Rachel. Innocent lives, all snuffed out. At the hands of a monster.

She turned, barely able to make out the shape of the teacher she had once respected, practically worshiped. Max marched straight towards him, flinging aside the heavy metal desk that was in her way like it was made of cotton. The man on the ground flinched and tried crawling backwards but found it impossible with both legs shattered.

Max reached down and hoisted Mark up by his collar, ignoring his cries of pain. Tears of rage blurred her vision. She fought to speak past the sobs that threatened to choke her. "You monster. You killed Rachel. You killed Chloe."

Through his pain, through his own fear, Mark worked up the nerve to smirk. "I'm no monster. I'm merely the photographer. The ones who buy my work, the one who funds it, they're the real monsters."

"I'm going to kill you, you piece of shit," Max hissed.

Mark could see the truth in her eyes and would've pissed himself if he hadn't already emptied his bladder when she tore free from her bindings and broke his arms and legs. He tried one last gambit. "And become a monster yourself? Is that what your precious Chloe would've wanted?"

Pain ripped through him. Pain beyond all comprehension, a visceral agony that could be felt from the depths of what remained of his soul. A moment of weightlessness, of vertigo, as the room spun around wildly. The sting of an impact against a wall. A moment of confusion as he saw his legs splattered against the opposite wall. Then, nothing.

Max stood stock still in the center of the Dark Room, covered in gore. The remains of what was once Mark Jefferson now decorated the walls to her left and right. The sheer amount of blood that dripped from her hair and clothes made it appear that she had just bathed in the stuff. But Max didn't notice any of it. In her mind's eye, all she could see were the horrifying photos of Rachel. Chloe's angel. Dead. The one who Chloe loved, the one who loved Chloe. Dead. The one who was there when Max abandoned Chloe. Dead. And her beloved childhood friend? Nothing more than a lowly grave stone. Dead. Lonely and alone. Dead.

Dead.

Dead.

Dead.

Max didn't notice when she walked away from the bunker, didn't notice the thick steel door she casually tore from its hinges, didn't notice the heavy downpour that drenched her, soaking her clothes, washing away the worst of the blood. She didn't realize she had taken flight, couldn't feel the numbing cold of the wind and rain that slammed into her. She wasn't conscious of dropping from the sky in the middle of Arcadia Bay, landing on the sidewalk at the corner of two intersecting streets. Didn't see the pedestrians, what few there were walking around under their umbrellas, stop and stare at her, amazed to see a flying girl land not more than 20 feet away.

She noticed none of it. Wasn't aware of the passage of time, the hour that came and went, how the rain lessened to a mild drizzle. All she could see was Chloe. Her best friend. Dead. Chloe's angel. Dead. And for what? For some sick fuck's twisted fantasies?

Max collapsed to her knees. All her power, and she couldn't even save Chloe. She was too busy hiding in Seattle, doing nothing, while Chloe sat at home, paralyzed. Helpless to do anything for herself. She lifted her right hand to her face. What the fuck point was it to have these powers if she couldn't even save the one life that mattered to her?

All the rage, the hate, the frustration, everything, boiled up in an instant. Max jerked her head up and stared ahead, at the empty intersection, the place where Chloe's life came to an end. She rose to her feet and staggered forward a step. She lifted her hand up to do something. She didn't know what. Perhaps to hit something. Perhaps to tear that section of street apart. But that didn't happen. Instead, something else welled up from deep inside. Unconsciously, Max latched onto that ethereal sensation and squeezed.

Max gasped as something opened up inside her brain. It didn't hurt, though. It felt akin to turning on a light in a darkened room and being overwhelmed at the brightness. Except magnified by a factor of a million. There was a pulling sensation and suddenly, Max was falling. While standing still. She felt the ground beneath her feet even as the world around her shifted. Everything blurred. The sun moved in reverse. The stars twisted in the opposite direction. Seasons flow backwards. All too fast to see. But Max knew it was true. Somehow, she could sense it. Sense the Earth itself turn back, feel the solar winds curl backwards towards the sun. Touch the planets as they realigned themselves to how they once were. And a moment later, all of it came to a halt.

It was day. Bright. Max was still at the corner of those two intersecting streets in downtown Arcadia Bay. Pedestrians were frozen mid-stride. Birds hovered in the air.

Max took it all in, stunned. Shocked. What the hell just happened? She rose to her feet and turned left and right, not believing what she was seeing. She glanced across the street and froze. There. In the driver's seat of a pickup. Chloe. Max could see through the windshield her bored expression, one hand on the steering wheel, the other propping up her head as she stared up at the traffic light. Max glanced up, saw that the light was red.

Max blinked and time started once more. Pedestrians started moving, birds once again flew. Max blinked again and the light turned green. She turned and saw Chloe put her other hand on the wheel and start moving forward, into the intersection.

The intersection.

Max's eyes widened. She tore her gaze from Chloe and looked to the right. There. A semi. Barreling towards the intersection. His light was red but he wasn't paying attention. He was going to run the light. He was going to hit Chloe.

He was going to kill Chloe.

"NO!"

 

* * *

 

Chloe sat at the red light, bored to tears. This had to be the longest fucking traffic light in the history of traffic lights. And there wasn't anyone coming, for fuck's sake! She puffed out a sigh. She could be doing literally anything else right about now. Would love to be doing anything else. But no, she was pulling a Rip Van Winkle here instead.

Finally, FINALLY, the light turned green. Chloe lifted her head, shifted into first gear, and proceeded forward into the intersection. Something, she wasn't sure what, made her glance to her left.

A semi truck. Barreling straight towards her. Not stopping. Chloe's eyes widened. No time to react.

She was dead.

Chloe flinched and braced herself. There was a horrific metal on metal crunching noise. Then, a deathly silence.

She took a breath. Another one. The fuck…? She was alive?! She opened her eyes and nearly went into cardiac arrest.

There, not 10 feet away, stood a girl. In front of the semi. Buried into the front of the semi. Holy fucking shit, that girl was dead! Except, she wasn't dead. She was very much alive, made evident when she stepped back, leaving behind a vague human-shaped dent in the grill of the truck.

Chloe's jaw dropped. She was alive. The girl was alive. The girl had saved her life by stopping that truck. She would be dead if it wasn't for that girl. Chloe's hands scrambled for the shifter, putting the truck into neutral, putting on the parking brake, opening her driver's side door. She didn't pay any attention to the car behind her, which had stopped as well, nor any of the pedestrians who were gathering around at the unbelievable sight. She only had eyes for the girl, the super who had saved her life.

She staggered out of the truck, barely keeping her footing. She opened her mouth to say something. Maybe thank the girl. But then, the girl turned. Looked at Chloe. Who promptly forgot how to breathe.

Max. The girl who had just saved her life was Max.

 

* * *

 

Max turned to face her friend. She still had no idea what was going on but, if this was real and not some fevered dream brought on by shock, she had just saved Chloe's life from the very truck that ended it before. And now, she was looking at her. Chloe. Her best friend.

But was she? A friend? Not after Max abandoned her. She didn't deserve to call her friend. Not after what happened. Not after everything she had done, or, more accurately, not done. She had saved her life, yes, but that didn't make up for anything. She was still a failure.

"Max?"

Dog, Chloe's voice. Music to her ears. She wanted nothing more than to listen to that voice for the rest of her life. Even if all she heard was yells and screams about being abandoned and left behind. That would be fine. At least, Chloe was alive.

A strong stench assaulted her senses. Wrinkling her nose, Max glanced down to see what it was. All she saw was a puddle of water forming beneath her.

Wait.

Shit, that wasn't water! That was gas!! Max panicked. She had seen enough action movies to know what was going to happen next. Her head snapped up and she saw Chloe take another step towards her. Max raised her hands to stop her. "Chloe, you have to get out of here! Now!"

Chloe blinked, confused. "Wha--"

"CHLOE!" Max pointed towards the ground. "There's gas everywhere! It's going to explode! MOVE! GET OUT OF HERE!!"

The sheer panic in Max's voice was enough to jar Chloe to action. She took one glance down to see Max was right. She scrambled back towards her truck, not thinking straight, and got back inside. She very quickly put it into gear and turned right, driving uncomfortably fast down the street a ways. When she was far enough away, she thought, she pulled over to the side and put the truck in park, then killed the engine. She hopped back out, took out her phone, and dialed her dad.

Two rings later, William picked up. "Chloe? What's up?"

"Dad, you gotta get here now. Max showed up out of nowhere and saved my life but the truck is about to explode because of all the spilled gas and she'd going to die if you don't do something!"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down!" William tried to piece together what his daughter just said. "Chloe, take a deep breath and tell me what happened. You were in a car accident?"

Chloe did what she was told. "Almost. A truck ran a red light and was going to kill me but Max stopped it. Somehow. I think she has super powers because she stopped the semi dead. But now there's gas everywhere and Max said it was going to explode so I had to leave. Um, I drove down the street a bit but I'm still here. I'm fine. I think?"

"Okay, okay." William still didn't understand what, precisely, was going on but now he had some basics. "What intersection?"

"7th and 101."

"Okay. I'm on my way. What I want you to do is stay safe and keep your distance from the accident. Then, hang up and call 911. Call the police and the firemen, honey. I'll be there soon."

Chloe, who had spent the entire conversation power-walking back to the intersection, heard sirens in the distance. "Someone already called them, dad. I hear them coming."

"Good." Chloe could hear the sounds of a car door opening and closing through the phone. "In that case, stay on the line. Keep talking. I'll be driving so I won't be able to talk back but keep talking so I know you're safe. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay. I will." Chloe took another deep breath as she saw Max step back towards the wreckage of the semi. "I love you, dad."

"I love you, too, sweetie. Sit tight. I'm on my way."

 

* * *

 

The moment Chloe got back in her truck, Max turned back to the mangled semi. She didn't pay attention to the pedestrians that were scrambling for cover, nor the driver of the car that was behind Chloe do the same. They had all heard her panicked shouts and weren't taking any chances. They'd seen action movies, too, after all.

Max hurried around to the driver's side of the semi. As short as she was, she'd normally have a hard time reaching the door handle but not when she could fly. She floated a few feet off the ground until she could reach the handle, then with a jerk, tore the handle right out of the door. The door itself, though, stayed.

Her heart started pounding furiously. The truck was going to explode any second and she had to get the driver out! Now!! She reached out and shoved both hands straight through the door, the metal resisting her as much as wet tissue paper. She got a firm grip on the door and yanked hard. This time, the door was torn straight from its hinges. Max tossed the warped chunk of metal aside, then reached forward. The driver, slumped forward against the steering wheel, unconscious, was 6 feet tall and a good 275 pounds. But he might as well have been a tiny plush toy for all the trouble his weight gave Max. The problem was her arms just weren't long enough to really get a good grip so she was forced to grab his shirt and awkwardly hoist him up that way, before dragging him to safety.

In three years time, Max would be way more careful about pulling victims free from wrecked cars. But now, at age 14, panicked, confused about what happened, unused to her powers, desperate to save the driver from what she figured was an inevitable explosion, she was less than gentle. She shot across the street, nearly dropping the man as his shirt tore in her grip, but managed to get him to the sidewalk a bit further down the street.

She didn't check on him. She didn't even know how. She just went back to the mangled semi and stood there, unsure what to do next. Drag it away before it exploded? But, wouldn't that spill gas everywhere? Was there somewhere safe to take it? Should she just pick the whole thing up and throw it as hard as she could towards the bay? But, if she did that, what if she hit someone? She could kill them! No, she couldn't do that! But, she had to do something! Right? But what?!

The sounds of sirens approaching pierced through the confusion. Max turned and saw a firetruck headed straight towards her. She felt herself somewhat relax at the sight. Firemen. The good guys. They'd know what to do. They would help.

Max, relieved, still confused by everything, feeling overwhelmed by the events of the past 10 minutes, took several steps towards the nearest public bench before fainting straight away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Max did tear Jefferson in half. Don't worry, he deserved it. In this AU, he doesn't just take sick photos of drugged girls. He takes snuff photos, too. But now that Max is 3 years into the past, Rachel is alive and well. She'll be showing up in the next chapter.


	2. Recovery

Regaining consciousness was weird. Max was groggy, disoriented, very confused. Her vision swam, the sounds around her were muffled, and she couldn't focus on anything for longer than a moment. She took a deep breath and it sounded odd. Echo-y. Max blinked and tried to clear her vision.

Movement from her side. Max turned her head to face it. Someone blurry. Max blinked again. Words. Coming from far away. A bright light in her eyes. Max flinched away, waved her arm to get it to stop. Her eyes watered.

Max lifted her hands to wipe at her eyes and bumped into something. She felt around her face. Something... plastic? A mask? What was...?

Voices. More clear than before. They were saying something.

"..ear me? Max?"

She tried to focus on the voice, at the movement. Someone next to her. They lifted a hand. A blue hand. Gloved? A single finger. It moved left and right. Max followed it. It seemed like the right thing to do.

"...oming around. Slowly. Max? ...easy. Breathe. Nice and easy."

Max took another deep breath. It was easier to understand the person now. Again, she took a deep breath.

"Good. So far, so good. Can you hear me now, Max?"

She nodded.

"Excellent. Okay, I need to shine this light in your eyes again. Just for a moment. To check on something. Okay?"

She nodded again. This time, she did her best to not flinch away. And like the person said, it was only for a moment.

"Eyes are getting back to normal." The paramedic put on a stethoscope and listened. "Breathing is fine and your pulse is a lot better." She removed the stethoscope from her ears and gave Max a friendly smile. "You gave us a bit of a scare but everything's going to be fine."

Max nodded slowly. "Chloe?"

"Your friend?" The paramedic turned and pointed. "Is that her over there?"

Max looked that way. Several feet away stood Chloe. With William. William had his hands on her shoulders as they both talked to a police officer.

Max blinked. Chloe was alive. She was alive.

Nothing else mattered. Max shifted and started to slide off the gurney. The paramedic next to her reached out a hand but, wisely, didn't try to stop the movement. She'd seen the evidence of the girl's strength, after all. "Hey, Max, take it easy. She's fine. She just needs to talk to the police. She's safe." She gave Max another friendly smile. "I just want to make sure you're safe, too. Sound good? You can see her from here, right? I'm not taking you away from her and she's not going anywhere. Let me help you so you can be with Chloe, okay?"

That was all it took to convince Max to stay. She eased herself back on the gurney with a nod. "Okay. Sorry."

"It's okay. Just sit back and take some deep breaths. The oxygen is going to help you. We think you breathed in a lot of diesel fumes so we want to make sure you're breathing is okay."

"Diesel?" Oh shit, the truck! Max whirled around to look at the truck and saw several firemen around it, spraying the area down with stuff. No fire. No explosion. Max sagged in relief. "I thought it was going to explode," she stated.

"While spilled fuel is always a hazard, the good news is diesel isn't as easy to catch fire as the movies make it seem," the paramedic explained. "Still, it was good that you told everyone to back off so that if anything did ignite, they'd be safe."

"Okay," Max said with a nod. She took another deep breath. "Okay."

"Max!"

Max turned at the voice and saw Chloe hurrying over to her. She barely had time to blink before Chloe wrapped her up in a huge hug. "Thank fuck, you're okay."

"Chloe." Max slowly wrapped her arms around her friend and held on tight. "Chloe..."

The paramedic cleared her throat. "I know you're happy to see your friend but please, she still needs to recover. You might jostle the mask loose."

"Oh, shit." Chloe eased off the hug but stayed close. "Sorry about that."

The paramedic felt the mask around Max's face to ensure it still had a good fit. "I'm certain she'll be fine. Just be careful."

Chloe gave her a thumbs up. "You got it." She then turned back to Max and gave her a wide grin. "Dude, you were freaking awesome! You totally saved my life there. Thanks to much."

Max simply held Chloe's hand and gave her a tiny smile. "I'm so glad you're okay," she whispered.

"Chloe!"

A new voice called out. Chloe turned and Max watched her face simply light up. "Rachel!"

Rachel. Max froze. Rachel Amber.

Max watched as a blonde girl ran up to Chloe and threw her arms around her to hold her tight. A bit younger than the pictures she had seen but still super attractive. Max could see why the girl wanted to be a model. She certainly had the looks for it already, and she wasn't even 18 yet.

Max blinked as several things occurred to her. She was 14, Chloe was 16. So was Rachel. They were friends. They were dating. Max had abandoned Chloe. Ignored her for years. Five years? Only two now? Whatever, she still ghosted her. Max sighed, dejected. She looked away. At least Chloe was safe. At least Rachel was alive. Chloe's angel. Alive and well. That stuff with Jefferson hasn't happened yet. Wouldn't happen. They were safe. They'd be fine.

Without her. As it should be.

The paramedic examined Max again, concerned that something was wrong. And there was, but nothing the paramedic could fix. There was nothing to fix, actually. Max already did that by saving Chloe. She fixed things. Chloe was alive and well. Rachel was alive and well. They'd leave Arcadia Bay together. They'd be together.

She should leave now. Just, go away. Let Chloe live. Let Rachel live. Together. That was the right thing to do, right? Let them be together. She'd think about what to do about Jefferson later. Maybe he wasn't at Blackwell yet. Maybe there was time to stop him. Save those other girls. Something.

"Max?"

An unfamiliar voice called her name. It roused Max back to awareness. She glanced up, only partially aware that the paramedic had removed the mask. Standing in front of her was Rachel. Max swallowed. Wow, she was attractive. Pictures really didn't do her justice. Max blinked. "Um, yeah?"

Rachel leaned forward and wrapped Max in a huge hug. "Thank you."

"Um." Max awkwardly returned the gesture. "For what?"

"You saved Chloe's life." Rachel released her hold and leaned back, wiping a tear from her eyes. "You saved my girlfriend's life. I can never repay you for that."

"I..." This was unexpected. Getting thanked by the girl who should hate her guts was really weird. "I'm glad you're okay, too."

"I am now." Rachel reached back and took Chloe's hand, dragging her forward so they were both standing next to Max. "We're both okay, thanks to you."

A half hour later found the mess with the semi nearly completely cleaned up. The police wanted to talk to Max as well but, as she was a minor, they didn't want to proceed without her parents there. The problem was they were nearly five hours away, in northern Seattle, Washington. What Max was doing all the way in Arcadia Bay was anyone's guess, though since word was spreading she had super powers, anyone who might've asked simply assumed she flew or teleported or something.

The truth was way weirder than that, though, and not something Max was interested in sharing. Now that she had time to think about it a bit more, she had decided to keep her time powers, however they worked, a secret. Nothing could be done about her other abilities since she used them in front of everyone to save Chloe's life, but she'd stay quiet about the rest. Not until she could figure out what happened and maybe dealt with Jefferson.

Maybe.

"Of course she's staying with us!" Chloe's voice carried pretty far. "She used to live in Arcadia Bay and we'd have sleepovers all the time. No reason for her to leave now, not until her parents get here, and that could take a while."

The police officer raised an eyebrow at the outburst and looked at William. "Is that true?"

"Yes, to all of it. Chloe and Max were best friends for the longest time until Max and her family had to move away. I've been trying to call Ryan and Vanessa but neither are answering."

Max cleared her throat. "We had to change cell phone companies. The old numbers don't work anymore."

William turned to Max. "Do you know your parents' new numbers, then?"

"Sorry," Max replied with a shake of her head. "I never memorized them and I don't have my cell with me."

"That's okay," the officer replied. "How about an address? I can make a few calls to the police in Seattle, send someone there to talk to your parents. Then, they can call back here."

"Um, okay." Max rattled off her new address. "But, they may not be home. I think they're both travelling for work and won't be back for a week."

"Hmm." The officer jotted down the address. "No harm in trying, I suppose. Can you tell me where your parents work, then?"

"Sure." Max gave the officer the info.

"Thank you." She put her notepad away. "Now, Max, I want you to do me a favor: we're not really supposed to ask you a lot of questions without your parents here because you're 14. Understand?"

"Yes sir."

The officer smiled. "But, it would really help us out if you could stick around Arcadia Bay for a bit. Then, when we get a hold of your parents, they can either come here or we can do a teleconference over the phones."

"Um." Max turned to look at Chloe and William. "But... I don't know if-- Um." Max shuffled her feet. "I, um..."

"Dude." Chloe stepped up and placed her hands on Max's shoulders. "You can't leave now. I mean, maybe you can. Like, I dunno if you can fly or transform into a jet or something wicked like that. But, you just got here. Don't leave." Chloe grinned. "Stay with us. Just for a bit. It'll be like a long sleepover! I'll even show you that Final Fantasy movie you love so much. Well," she considered, "as long as we can watch _Bladerunner_ , too."

There was no way Max could refuse Chloe anything. Hesitantly, she nodded. "O-okay."

"Kick ass!"

"And that's another for the swear jar."

Chloe turned to look at her dad. "Aw, c'mon! Extenuating circumstances and all that! It's not everyday your life is saved by a superhero, right?"

William grinned and shook his head. "Okay, fine. Just this once, though."

"Nice." Chloe turned back and gave Max's shoulder's a pat. "See? All taken care of. You hang out with me and Rachel, we'll all watch a ton of movies, rock out to some music, all of it. Dude, you're gonna love this new band we both found. It kicks a-- butt! A whole lot of butt!"

"Smooth, babe." The blonde stepped up and entwined her fingers in Chloe's. "Real smooth."

Max glanced over at Rachel, nervous to be spending any time with her. Powers or no powers, Max was the intruder, after all. But all she saw was a bright and earnest smile on Rachel's face. And the eagerness on Chloe's. She swallowed. For good or ill, Max was going to stay in Arcadia Bay. Not because the police officer asked. Not because of unfinished business with Jefferson. But because Chloe asked. As long as she wanted her there, Max would never leave.

Never again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really weird. I wrote this whole chapter at work, between phone calls. Admittedly, not a whole lot happens but I just couldn't help myself. My fingers decided it wanted to keep going, so, I did.
> 
> I originally had a couple other things happen in the chapter, like, having either the police officer or the driver of the semi be belligerent towards Chloe, then having Max put a stop to that with an off-hand display of strength, but once I wrote the chapter, it no longer fit.
> 
> There might be another chapter following this one, focused on Max, Chloe, and Rachel all interacting with one another. We'll see how it goes.


	3. To Stay or Not to Stay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter. Enjoy!

A few hours after the semi incident found Max was happily ensconced at the Price household. She had ridden with Chloe and Rachel in Chloe's truck, William following behind in his car. Strangely enough, she was put in the middle of the bench seat, between Rachel and Chloe, instead of at one end. She wasn't going to complain, though, since it meant being close to Chloe.

Might as well enjoy it while it lasted.

Despite Max's initial trepidation, she wound up enjoying herself. Being at Chloe's house was just like old times. Sure, Chloe's room was decorated differently (definitely had that punk vibe going) but it was still Chloe. Rachel, much to Max's surprise, was incredibly friendly, wanting to know everything there was to know about Max. The only problem was, there really wasn't that much to tell. Max knew she was boring. She didn't go to concerts or sneak out of the house to hang out at junkyards. All she did was stay in her room and study, since she didn't have any friends at school.

"There has to be at least one thing you like, though," Rachel insisted. "Maybe you don't think of it as out of the ordinary, but not us. We just want to know you. I want to know you. Unless you're a secret agent who's actually undercover as a civilian and if we know too much, you'll have to kill us."

Max gasped, horrified at the idea. "I'd never do that! Ever!"

"Just kidding, Max. Promise." Rachel made a placating gesture with her hands. "That was actually a joke on you not having a super hero uniform. I figured that means you got your powers pretty recently."

Max thought back and realized Rachel was right. It was recently, now, that she discovered she had these powers. It's the time powers she didn't discover until later, at Blackwell. Before. But not yet? Damn, time travel was so confusing. "Um, yeah. It was pretty recent. I know you're supposed to get yourself registered as soon as you develop powers or something but I was too freaked out. So I kept them hidden." Max shook her head. "I wasn't going to reveal them, ever, but..."

Rachel saw Max hesitate and knew exactly what she was thinking about. She placed a friendly hand atop Max's. "I really don't want things to get tough for you now that you've revealed yourself but, and I hope you understand where I'm coming from, I'm so glad you did."

"I agree. 100%. I'd so much rather deal with whatever happens next than, um..." Max winced. She couldn't say it, couldn't even think it.

Rachel gave the shy girl's hand a squeeze. "I know."

But she didn't know. That was the problem. Rachel was assuming the wreck meant Chloe's death. She couldn't even fathom the alternative: Chloe being paralyzed from the neck down, wasting away as her body failed her, while Rachel tried to do everything she could to help get money for Chloe's medical treatments, only to be captured by Jefferson, tortured, murdered, with Chloe dying soon after. Max shuddered. No, she didn't know. And she could never know. Max knew, and that was horrific enough. No need to share that nightmare.

Chloe chose that moment to re-enter her room, carrying a tray loaded down with snacks, drinks, and goodies. "Snack attack time!"

"Look at you, being all sophisticated, carrying a tray," Rachel teased. "Get tired of dropping everything halfway up the stairs?"

"Blow me," was Chloe's rather clever response, which Max managed to snicker at. "Mom's working late so dinner's going to be late, too. And I didn't know when Max had eaten last." She set the tray down on her desk and passed a plate of sandwiches cut into small triangles over to Max. "Dad made these to tide you over, in case you didn't get lunch."

"I didn't, actually. So, thanks." Max took one off the plate and bit into it. "He remembered," she sighed happily.

"Duh. PB & J is, like, a classic and he likes grape jelly, too. I prefer strawberry so don't eat the ones on the bottom."

"And what about me?"

Chloe made a face at Rachel. "Only you'd actually ask for something as awful as orange marmalade."

"Yeah. And?"

"Yours are at the bottom, too," Chloe said resignedly, reaching towards Rachel with the plate. "Be thankful my dad likes you enough to stock up on it."

Rachel reached out and snagged one of her sandwich triangles. "Hey, your mom likes it, too. Don't blame me that she now has a reason to keep a jar on hand."

Chloe sat at her desk chair and put the plate down. "Actually, I will blame you because you're precisely the reason we do."

Max giggled. Watching Chloe and Rachel mess with each other reminded her of herself and Chloe, five years ago. Max blinked. No, wait, that was only 2 years ago now. Right? Damn time travel.

Chloe handed Max a glass of milk. "Here. I know you prefer this to soda when eating PB & J."

"Awesome." Max took a long swallow. "That hits the spot. Thanks."

"No prob, dude."

Max placed the glass on Chloe's desk and turned to Rachel. "And to answer your earlier question, um, I've been getting into photography. I have a Polaroid back home I've been messing with and it's a ton of fun. I was hoping, if I get good enough, to make it into a career."

Chloe snapped her fingers. "Dude, that'd be awesome! And it's perfect, since Rachel wants to be a model. You can get famous taking her pictures and she can get famous getting her pictures taken. The perfect loop!"

Max smiled. "That's a long way off for me but I think you'll be a great model," she said, turning back to Rachel. "You're so pretty and photogenic. And you'll only get more beautiful as time goes on."

"Hey, watch it." Chloe pointed a thumb at herself, a teasing grin on her face. "Rachel's my girl. Don't go flirting with her right in front of me."

Max flinched and looked away. She swallowed her food, the bite painful against her suddenly dry throat. "S-sorry." She wrapped her arms around herself. "I didn't mean to. I'll be quiet. Sorry."

Chloe and Rachel both blinked at Max's reaction. Totally not what either of were expecting. Rachel reached out and hovered a hand near Max's shoulders, uncertain if it would be well-received. "It's okay, Max. Chloe's just teasing."

"Yeah, dude. You know me. Always running my mouth." She shrugged, trying to keep her voice light. "I know you weren't really flirting. I mean, no offense, but you're Max. The shiest girl to ever shy. I think if you ever really wanted to try and flirt, you'd look it up a book first."

Rachel turned to Chloe. "Seriously? _That's_ how you try to cheer up your friend?"

"What?" Chloe shrugged. "It's true! Just ask." Chloe nudged Max's knee with her foot. "C'mon, back me up here. Rachel thinks I'm insulting you."

Max shook her head. "She's right. I, um, don't really flirt. Or date. Or anything. I'm way too shy for any of that."

"Hmm." Rachel grinned and rose from the bed. "Well, in that case, you've come to the right place."

"Huh?" Max looked up, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Believe it or not, Chloe was pretty awful at flirting, too. It wasn't until she started dating me that she started getting some really slick moves. So, we'll teach you."

Max blinked. "Teach me?"

Chloe stood from her chair, having figured out where Rachel was going with this. "Hell yeah! Like, we'll stage some scenarios with one of us being the flirter and the other the flirtee. We'll show you the best way to get your MacDaddy on. Then, you'll take our place and practice putting on the moves. We'll know you've gotten the hang of it when you make Rachel blush."

Somehow, the thought of making Rachel blush was making Max blush. "Um, I don't..."

Chloe barreled through Max's weak protest. "Watch, like this." She stepped up to Rachel with her best swagger. "Hey babe, did it hurt?"

Rachel tossed her long hair behind her and she turned, a teasing grin in her face. "Did what hurt?"

"When you fell from heaven." Chloe then turned and waggled her eyebrows at Max. "Eh? Eh? Right?"

A moment later and Max slapped her hands over her mouth to stifle the giggles. "Oh, dog, that's just awful!

Rachel grinned, glad Max was cheering up. "You think that's bad, try this." She reached out and dragged a finger down the center of Chloe's chest. And in her best sultry voice, said, "You must be Jamaican, because Jamaican me crazy."

Max snorted and started laughing out loud. "No! That can't be a real line! That's, like, the worst ever!"

Chloe grinned, happy to see Max, her Max, back once more. Yes, this afternoon was rough and scary and super strange, but here and now, it was all about having fun. "We have a whole book of these ready to try."

"In fact, come here. I got a better idea." Rachel grinned as Max hopped off the bed to join them. "I'll whisper the line to you, you deliver it to Chloe, as best you can. Then, she'll do the same. Whoever can get the other to crack first, wins."

"Oh damn, this is gonna be so much fun." Chloe clasped a hand on Max's shoulder. "You up for it?"

For the first time since Max got back, she smiled, bright and free. "Bring it on."

"Yes!"

 

* * *

 

Later that evening, William left to pick Joyce up from work, leaving the three girls to fend for themselves. "But no funny business," he said, for once looking serious. "Remember, it's not just you two. You're also watching out for Max here."

"We promise," Rachel agreed, matching his tone. William may be easy going but there were limits and she really didn't want to get on the bad side of her girlfriend's parents.

"I could go get mom if you want," Chloe offered. "That way, you can watch after Max and Rachel, make sure they don't break into the liquor cabinet."

"Hey!"

Chloe shot a grin at Max's protest but turned when she felt her dad's hand on her shoulder.

"Let's just say that I'm not comfortable with you being on the road again just yet," he said with an apologetic smile.

After a moment, Chloe nodded. Maybe she should've been the rebellious daughter and protested but, when she thought about it for more than two seconds, she understood. "Got it." She stepped forward and gave her dad a huge hug, which he returned. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, kiddo." He let go and walked to his car. "Be back soon enough."

"Drive safe!" Max and Rachel waved as he drove off.

As soon as the Price family car was a block away, Rachel turned to the other two with a smile. "So, I hear there's a liquor cabinet?"

Max turned, shocked. "No, please don't. I don't want you to get into trouble. I don't want to get into trouble."

Chloe threw her arm around Rachel and Max and led them back to the house. "She's screwing with you, dude. Punk rebels that we are, we're not gonna do stupid crap like that here."

Max sighed in relief. "Okay."

Rachel nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we wait until we get to the American Rust, then we get stupid."

Max blinked, unsure if they were joking. "Okay...?"

"But!" Chloe raised a finger as if bringing up the most important point to ever be brought up. "We're not gonna worry about that now. We have a movie to watch. At least until dinner's done. So, we should probably make it something we don't mind pausing in the middle of. Max?

"Um." She glanced over at Rachel. "Do you like sci-fi?"

Rachel shrugged. "Not my usual cup of tea but _Aliens_ was good."

"Hmm. Not a good one to pause, though," Chloe stated. "That one, you get to the meat of it and you won't want to quit."

"Well, we don't have to do sci-fi," Max said with a shrug. "We can watch anything, really. I don't mind."

"What about something that Chloe and I have watched but you haven't?" Rachel asked.

"Like what?"

Chloe stepped over to the cabinet that held their supply of movies and started running her fingers across the spines of the DVDs. "Let's see..."

A knock on the front door interrupted their perusal. All three turned to look at the door before glancing at one another. With a soft shrug, Chloe stepped away from the cabinet and glanced outside through the small windows that lined one side of the door. She gasped and whirled around. "They're heroes!"

"What?" Rachel blinked in surprise. "Really?!"

"Yeah! Two of them. I think I recognize one from the news."

Rachel glanced over at Max who was starting to shuffle nervously in place. "You don't think they're going to, like, arrest Max or something, right?"

"Nah. Probably like congratulate her on a job well done or something," Chloe replied with a wide grin. She unbolted the door and opened it wide. "Hi!"

On the other side door stood a man and a woman. Both were dressed in what the general public considered super hero attire: skintight full coverage body suits. The man was dressed in navy blue accented with white lightning bolts. Wide, amber-tinted goggles adorned his face while a stiff mask covered his mouth, both acting to shield his identity from the general public. The woman was dressed in burgundy trimmed in black. She also had on a rust-colored, waist length coat similar in appearance to a jean jacket. Unlike her compatriot, she wore no mask at all. She gave Chloe a friendly smile. "Good evening. My name is Vice and my friend here is Volter. May we come in?"

"Sure!" Chloe opened the door wider and motioned for the two heroes to enter.

The two heroes took a quick look around. "It's a nice place you have here," Vice said with a nod of the head. "Very homey."

Chloe shrugged, trying to play it cool. "It's no super hero base but we make it work."

Rachel rolled her eyes at her girlfriend's antics, which Vice noticed. The hero gave the blonde a soft wink, making Rachel blush slightly.

"There she is."

Chloe blinked at the metallic quality of Volter's voice and the seriousness of the statement. It was a far cry from Vice's friendliness. "Uh."

Vice turned to her companion and raised her hand. "Please, let me. We don't want to scare her."

Volter huffed out a breath, seemingly annoyed, but took a half step back.

"Thank you." Vice turned back and looked at Max, who had shuffled back and somewhat behind Rachel. "We apologize, Max. We didn't mean to frighten you. We only wanted to talk a bit. Okay?"

"Um." Max shuffled again. It was obvious she was scared. She peeked around Rachel. "Am I in trouble?"

Vice shook her head. "No, of course not. The Superhero-Association simply caught the news of what happened earlier so we wanted to stop in. Someone managed to catch you on their phone and we saw what you did. You have good instincts and did so well, especially for someone with no training." Vice gave Max an encouraging smile and was happy to see Max relax a bit. She was still incredibly nervous, though.

"What we wanted to do," Vice continued, "is talk to you and your parents about your powers and your future. See if you'd be a good fit for the SA. You don't have to join the SA, of course. Just because you develop powers doesn't mean you must wear a uniform and join the cause. But, there are many benefits to doing so." She tilted her head and gave Max another smile. "Are they around?"

"Um, they're actually traveling for work." Max shook her head slightly. "I don't know exactly where, though."

"I understand," Vice said with a nod. "Do you know when they'll be back?"

Max shuffled her feet again. "Um..."

"Why wait?" Volter interrupted. "She has powers. She's unregistered. We can just take custody now, talk to the parents later."

"Volter, please."

"The fuck you can!" Chloe stepped up, alarmed at the thought of Max being taken away. "She's a minor. You can't just take her."

Volter turned to look at Chloe. "Actually, we can. The law states that when there are no parents present, we don't need anyone's permission to claim her."

"Bullshit." Rachel narrowed her eyes at the hero. "Those laws you're referring to are only in case the minor in question is an orphan and a ward of the state. Max is neither."

"And how the hell would you know about that?"

"Volter, calm down."

"Because my father's the DA." Rachel put her hands on her hips. "Maybe you can intimidate someone else but we know better."

"Great. A know-it-all." Volter jammed a finger at her. "Is your precious daddy going to bail her out when she's getting her ass sued by the truck driver?"

"Don't you talk to my girlfriend like that!" Chloe, getting mighty irritated at the way this so-called hero was talking, reached out to grab Volter's arm. "You better get your ass out of--"

BZZZKT!!

"OW!!" Chloe jerked her hand back, shocked. Literally. She shook her hand hard, trying to get the feeling back in her fingertips.

Volter turned his head to give her a contemptuous glare. "Back off, little girl."

Chloe stared up at him, completely dumbfounded, as did Rachel and Vice. No one paid any attention to Max, which is why everyone was caught off-guard when she punched Volter straight through the wall.

Max was naturally shy. She didn't like conflict and, when it came to the flight or fight response, her normal reaction was freeze in place. If anyone had spoken to her a week ago, they'd state with complete confidence that she didn't have a violent bone in her body. Which was true. But, after what she had witnessed, what she had gone through, in the past, the future that would never be, something inside Max changed. Yes, she was nervous around people she didn't know. Yes, she was a bit of a scaredy-cat. But if there was one thing that she would never abide by, it was someone hurting Chloe.

So when Chloe jerked her hand back, having been shocked by Volter's powers, she didn't stop and ask if it was on purpose or accident. She didn't wonder if he had a personal forcefield that went off whenever anything broke the barrier. In that moment, the only thing that mattered was he hurt Chloe. Max didn't consider property damage. Didn't think about the fact that she could kill Volter with a single punch if it wasn't for his personal forcefield. Didn't think at all. She was going to make him stop.

Never again.

Volter tumbled out the front yard in an uncontrollable roll, debris scattering all around him. Training kicked in, though, and he quickly got to his feet. He spun around to face his opponent only to be body slammed by a human rocket. Again, he flew backwards, this time smashing into the side of the SA armored vehicle he and Vice used to get here. Instinct had him throwing himself to one side, meaning the fist that blurred in missed and smashed into and through the vehicle's door. Seeing his chance, Volter threw his hand forward and launched a huge bolt of lightning that struck the young super dead in the chest.

The crack of thunder that resulted was as deafening as the flash was blinding. Volter's goggles allowed him to see through the glare, though. He had a split second to wonder if he hadn't just accidentally killed the girl outright but when the smoke cleared, he was stunned. The girl was alive and well, and extremely pissed off. Her clothes were burnt to a crisp, her hair was smoking, and she was blinking the spots out of her vision, but that didn't stop her from yanking on her arm, pulling the car towards her. She reached out with her other hand, grabbed hold, and lifted the five-ton vehicle right over her head.

Max turned in place and glared. She couldn't see the man that clearly but she could see enough. Enough to hit him. Enough to stop him. "Never," she whispered, her voice harsh. 14-year-old Max really couldn't pull off a growl but the fact she was holding a car over her head to use as a make-shift bludgeon more than made up for that fact. "You will never hurt Chloe. Never again. Never again! NEVER AGAIN!"

All of a sudden, Max couldn't move. Couldn't twitch. She blinked, able to see a slight glow that surrounded her in her peripheral vision. She heard Vice calling out, telling Volter to back down, asking Max to calm down and listen. Then, shouts. Chloe. Rachel. Yelling. Screaming to be let go. Max panicked. No! Not Chloe! Not her angel! Never! NEVER!

After recovering from her surprise, Vice dashed out of the house, just in time to see Max barely miss punching Volter's head clean off. She watched, stunned, as this girl, so slight in build, heaved the entire car over her head like it weighed next to nothing. Vice threw out her hand, her telekinetic grip locking the girl and the car in place. "Stop this! Both of you!" She turned to Volter who was still on his back several feet away from Max. "Volter! Stand down!"

"Fuck that! You saw what she just did!"

"After you antagonized her, you moron! Stand down right now!" She turned her attention to Max. "Max, I'm going to need you to calm down. Relax. We're not here to hurt you or take you away. Please. I--"

Before she could finish, Vice saw the other two girls hurry out of the house towards Max. She threw her other hand out and locked them in place as well. "Please, stand back, both of you! For your own safety!"

Chloe strained against the telekinetic grip but she might as well had been sealed in concrete. "LET US GO, YOU BITCH!"

"I will, but only if you back away! It's too dangerous for you out here!"

"And who's fault is that?!" cried the blonde. "You're the ones that started this, waving your dicks in the air, trying to bully Max!"

"I know, and I apologize. Please! I didn't mean for this to--"

Vice never got a chance to finish. Instead, she cried out in pain as Max broke free from her telekinetic field. She unconsciously released her grip on the two girls and spun around to see Max heave the car back, then throw it right at her. Vice threw her hands out and caught the car in mid-air but had to drop it immediately, still not recovered from the shock of her field getting shattered. She was, therefore, caught completely flat-footed when Max tossed the car out of her way and barreled straight into her. The wind was knocked out of her as Max picked her up and slammed her into the remains of the wall. She felt the girls' grip tighten on her jacket and tried prying the fingers free, but it was like trying to peel back steel rebar. Super strength wasn't her power and she couldn't focus enough to try a telekinetic pull.

"Never!" Max pulled Vice off the wall and slammed her back into it. "Never!" Again. "Never!" And again. "Never hurt Chloe! Never hurt her angel! Never! DO YOU HEAR ME?! NEVER!!" Her grip tightened further.

"MAX!!"

Chloe's voice shot through the haze of rage in Max's head. She blinked and loosened her grip on the super in her arms. Slowly, she turned to look at her friend. "C-Chloe?"

"Max. Dude." Chloe swallowed. Holy fucking shit, she never thought she'd ever say this about Max but right now, she was scary as balls. "We're fine. Rachel and I are fine. See?" She threw her hands out and motioned towards her girlfriend. "We're good. Nothing broken, nothing bruised. No cuts, no nothing."

Max lowered Vice back to the ground, still looking at Chloe. "I..." She let go and took a step back. "I..."

Chloe took a step forward. It looked like Max was calming down a bit. She tried to smile. "See? It's all good. We're good. Right, Rach?"

Rachel nodded rapidly. Goddamn! A real superhero fight, and right here in Arcadia Bay. Her heart was still pounding. "Yeah, Max. We're okay."

Max, though, wasn't really hearing the words. Instead, she was getting flashbacks. From several hours ago. When someone else had driven her anger to such heights. What had happened immediately thereafter. Max felt sick. She staggered back another step, horrifying visions of what she'd done and could do filling her mind. "...monster." She swallowed. "I'm a monster." Tears began pouring from her eyes. "No no nononononono..."

Chloe watched, alarmed at Max's sudden shift in behavior. "Max?"

Max fell back and turned away, clutching at her head. "NO!" And to everyone's surprise, she shot into the sky and moments later, was gone.

"MAX!!!"

Chloe stood stock still for several long moments. Gone. Once again, just like that Max was gone. Her eyes narrowed. "No, fuck no. Not letting her go. Not again."

Rachel watched as Chloe ran back inside her house. She wasn't sure what to do, standing there near Vice, who looked as surprised as she felt. She turned and saw the other super, Volter, staggering to his feet. Her eyes narrowed in disgust. Antagonistic prick. He may have been a super but he was definitely no hero.

Chloe exited the house, keys in hand. "C'mon, let's go."

There was no hesitation; Rachel followed right behind. Both she and Chloe hopped in Chloe's pickup and put on their seat belts. "Where are we going?"

Chloe started the truck and backed it out of the driveway. She put the truck into first gear and looked Rachel dead in the eyes. "To find Max."

 

* * *

 

Several minutes later found the two approaching the outskirts of town. The entire time, they were quiet, uncertain what to say to one another. Eventually, Rachel licked her lips. "Babe?"

"Yeah?"

"Is Max going to be okay?"

Chloe huffed out a long sigh. "Damn, I hope so. I mean, she's already been through a lot. Saving me from that truck, getting bullied by Captain Fucker back there. That's why I want to find her. To help. Because I know Max and when the going gets tough, she tends to run and hide."

"How do you know where she'll be?"

"There are only two places Max would run and still be in Arcadia Bay: the lighthouse and the tree fort. Both were super important to us when we were kids. The lighthouse is easier to drive to, so we're trying that first."

"Okay." Rachel worried her bottom lip. "Are you going to be okay?"

Chloe took a deep breath, then sighed. "I dunno. Maybe. Probably. Yes. It's just, I've never seen Max get that mad about anything. Ever. And you saw how badly she freaked out before she took off. That's not like her." Chloe glanced her way before turning her attention back to the road. "I mean, yes, it's been a couple of years since she's moved away so maybe she changed, but not that much. I'm worried."

"So am I." Rachel looked out her window. "I barely know her, not like you do, but I can tell she's a nice person. A good person. Nervous, shy. Really cute," she added with a small grin, to which Chloe snorted in amusement. "But I have a feeling that something else is up."

"What do you mean?"

"Did you hear what she said when she was slamming that one super against the wall?"

"Something about never again."

"Yes. But, she called me your angel. 'Never hurt her angel' she said." She turned. "How did she know that's your nickname for me?"

"I--" Chloe blinked. "I don't know. I don't think I used that nickname in front of her."

"Exactly. And earlier, when I first met her at the accident site, she said, 'I'm glad you're okay, too.' Why? I wasn't in the wreck. I wasn't anywhere near it."

Chloe thought back. "Maybe she was just glad you were okay and not freaking out about me?"

"Hmm. Maybe." Rachel's brow furrowed in thought. "Still, those two things, coupled with the way she reacted to a couple of things earlier in your room, makes me wonder."

"Wonder what?"

Rachel shrugged. "No idea. Too many pieces of the puzzle missing and I don't even have an idea of what the final image should look like. Just, maybe pay close attention to what she says when we do find her."

"Gotcha." Chloe started slowing down as her turn approached. "She's not a bad guy, though."

"Oh, fuck no. Like I said, she's a good person. I can tell. She's just very passionate. Like you and me. But keeps everything hidden just beneath the surface."

Chloe recalled Max punching Chicken McFuckNugget through a wall. "Until it explodes."

"Literally."

Chloe took the turn and eased her way into the parking lot of the lighthouse. "Hey Rach?"

"Yeah?"

Chloe parked the truck and killed the engine. "If I forget later, thanks for giving Max a chance. I know you always wanted to give her a piece of your mind after hearing me bitch so much about her leaving."

Rachel unbuckled her seat belt and slid over to Chloe, and took her hand. "Babe, saving your life made it really easy to forgive and forget. Just like you did."

"Yeah. Yeah it did." Chloe leaned forward and gave Rachel a quick kiss. "Now, let's go get her back."

 

* * *

 

Max curled up against the wall of the lighthouse, hugging her knees to her chest. She was shivering but not because of the cold. Rather, it was her fear. Fear of what she was, what she had become. A monster.

She sniffed and wiped her nose with her hand. Sure, she saved Chloe from that truck. But what would happen if she got mad again? Even if she wasn't mad at Chloe (and she would never, ever do that!), she could accidentally hurt Chloe. Could accidentally kill her. The thought made her whimper.

And what about Rachel? William? Joyce? The next door neighbor? Some random person on the street? She was a walking hazard. She could swing her arms and kill someone. She could kick a rock and murder someone. Even giving someone a hug was dangerous.

She should go away. Leave. Fly as far as she could. Hide. But, that would mean abandoning Chloe. Again. If she did that, Chloe would definitely hate her, saved life or not. And she still wanted to keep her safe. But how could she so that when just being next to her was risking her life?

Something dropped across her shoulders. Max blinked at the unexpected contact and looked up. And saw Chloe. She froze, shocked.

"Figured you might be cold," Chloe said as she dropped on her ass next to Max. "You can borrow my jacket until we get back to the truck."

Max swallowed. She knew she had to get away. Run. Hide. Don't be close to Chloe. But she couldn't get her legs to move. Chloe was right there. Max couldn't just leave. "I…"

Rachel took a seat next to Chloe and Max, forming a triangle. "We're just going to hang out here with you for a bit. We'll leave whenever you're ready and not a moment before, okay?"

"Um." Rachel was here, too? She didn't even know Max, not really. Max was confused. Why was she here? Why were both of them here? Couldn't they see she was dangerous? Max curled into a smaller ball. "Sorry."

"Why're you apologizing, dude? What, did you eat all my Doritos or something?"

"...no."

"Steal my cigarettes? Yes, I know it's a disgusting habit, heard it all before, but sometimes, I need to light up."

Max shook her head slowly. "No. I…"

"If this is about that one incident with Mrs. Davis, the lizards, and the crickets, I already forgave you for that a long time ago."

Max blinked. "Um, that was you, actually. You were trying to transplant an ecology from outside to inside and lost everything in the classroom. We heard crickets in that class for days."

Chloe slapped a hand on her knee. "Which means it worked! Totally should've gotten an A."

"It wasn't even a class assignment," Max replied, a ghost of a smile on her face. "It was a voluntary project of yours and you got detention for it."

"I should've gotten an A for taking the initiative."

Rachel caught Max's attention when she let out a long, drawn-out groan. "I had always wondered if she was always like this. I suppose this is my answer."

"Chloe's a handful, all right," Max whispered.

All three fell quiet but the silence had been broken. Max shifted in place and fiddled with the closure on Chloe's jacket. "I'm sorry for what I did at your house. For attacking those heroes. I got so angry and lost control. I could've killed those two. And now, I keep thinking I could accidentally hurt you. Hurt you both." She shook her head. "I can't stand the thought. I'd rather die."

Chloe reached out a hand but didn't touch Max. Not yet. Not that she was afraid of her but she didn't want to freak Max out and make her run again. "Dude, okay, first off, that wasn't your fault. I'm not blaming you and neither is Rachel."

"Nope, never."

"We both blame that cock-bite that decided the best way to approach a 14-year-old girl was to strong arm her into getting into his car. Seriously, that's what a pedophile would do, not a hero."

Max blinked as Rachel picked up the conversation thread. "The woman, Vice, I think it was, was nice enough. She's the one that did all the talking at first and tried talking Volter down when he started getting belligerent. Didn't work, though." She shrugged. "Typical guy, not listening to reason. Or a woman."

"But..." Max gulped. "But, when you got hurt, I lost all control. I could've hurt someone."

"They're supers," Chloe replied with a shrug. "Remember, they heard about you, saw news about you. They knew you'd be strong. Pretty sure those two came because they could take a hit if needed. Not that it should've been needed, mind you." She crossed her arms. "Seriously, not your fault that they acted like morons."

"And you came to Chloe's defense," Rachel added. "Do you really think I'd ever be mad at someone for having her back? For defending my girlfriend? She's your friend, too. You have every right to step up and defend her."

Max's gaze turned inward as she considered their words. If she was honest with herself, it felt really nice to hear. There was still a problem, though. "What if I hurt you, though? I might go for a hug and crush you to death." She shuddered at the thought.

"Max." Chloe shuffled forward an inch or two. "Don't you remember? After you saved my life, passed out, and woke up. I gave you a hug. You hugged me right back. And I was fine. You held my hand. And I was fine. You hugged Rachel, and she's fine." She shook her head. "I think you're worrying about nothing here."

Rachel smiled. "And in Chloe's room earlier, you gave us both hugs. We even slapped high fives. See?" She raised her hand, showing her palm to Max. "No broken bones, no bruises. It didn't even sting like you might expect. Yes, you've got some serious super strength going on but you must have more control than you think. At no point did you hurt Chloe or me. You didn't rip off the door to the truck when you got out. Didn't shatter the bathroom sink when you washed your hands. You got this." Rachel leaned forward and said the next part carefully, emphasizing every word. "You're our friend, Max. And we trust you."

"We're here for you, dude." Chloe reached out her hand. "Always."

Max sniffed, feeling overwhelmed with emotion. But not fear. Relief. She slowly reached out her hand and took Chloe's. She gave her a tremulous smile. "Thank you." She turned and, when she saw Rachel's hand also extended, took it as well. "Both of you. Thank you so much."

Chloe and Rachel shifted forward and wrapped their arms around Max, sandwiching her in a warm hug. Max cried, relieved. And happy. Having the two of them here, now, holding her close, convinced her that maybe she should stay in Arcadia Bay after all. Be with her friends. Help them.

She thought back. Remembered that Mark Jefferson was still a threat. Something she'd have to deal with. But later. After she'd given the matter some more thought. And, perhaps, after she explained to Chloe and Rachel what had happened in the past/future-that-never-was. They trusted her, after all. She should do the same.

Eventually, they left the lighthouse. But only after Chloe answered her phone and explained to her panicked parents that yes, she was fine, yes, Max and Rachel were fine, they were all together, safe and sound. And only after multiple reassurances that no, they weren't grounded for life for breaking the house. The Superhero-Association had explained to William and Joyce that they'd cover the repairs to the home and Vice, over the phone, gave her personal assurance that Max wasn't in trouble and wouldn't be arrested or taken away.

So, Max, once again, found herself seated between Chloe and Rachel in Chloe's truck as they made the trek back to the, hopefully, not ruined forever Price household. She had a slight blush on her face due in part to her current attire. She had only realized when she stood up that the burnt tatters that were once her clothes weren't capable of shielding her body from anyone. Rachel saved the day by giving Max her flannel shirt to wear. Definitely not her normal look but at least it was long enough on Max's smaller frame to act as a sort of dress, protecting her modesty.

(It was quite fortunate for Max's sanity that she had no earthly idea that Cute Girl + Long Shirt That Came to Upper-Thigh – Pants = Super Fucking Attractive. She also completely missed the occasional glances that both Rachel and Chloe shot her way.)

But the other reason for her blush had to do with her two friends. Rachel had an arm wrapped around her shoulders while Chloe would switch between gripping the gear shift knob and holding her hand. It made her so happy to have them here. To have them close. She sighed, content. Yes, she'd have to be careful to not get in the way of their relationship but she was going to enjoy this closeness for as long as they offered it. She made a quiet promise to herself that she would protect them and never let them come to harm. And that she'd never leave them.

Never again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thus ends another Super-Max tale. I really didn't know what possessed me to write this but I had a lot of fun doing so. If inspiration strikes, I may write more in the future but, for now, I'm out of ideas.
> 
> Wait, that's not entirely true. I do have a couple more but right now, there isn't enough to make a full story or even chapter. Maybe later.


End file.
